Curricular Materials

This curriculum was developed in an informal STEM context through after-school programs, however this versatile content can be implemented in a variety of formal and informal settings, including classroom use at the high school level. In this curriculum, students design, carry out, and communicate findings from technology-rich community-focused environmental citizen science projects. Students learn about various types of pollution, environmental health, and human impacts on the environment, as well as develop research and science communication skills and utilize various technologies and scientific tools. In addition, students connect with professional scientists and become a part of the scientific community themselves through conducting authentic research as citizen scientists. We approached the development of this curriculum with the theoretical framework of science identity development, and the goal of each student coming to believe that they are a ‘science person’. Carlone and Johnson (2007) posited that the prototypical 'science person' would have a certain level of competence, be able to demonstrate it, and be acknowledged for it by others, creating a model of identity with these three basic aspects. We used Carlone and Johnson's three science identity components of performance, recognition, and competence, as guiding goals for the curriculum, and you will see these highlighted at the top of each activity plan. Through engaging in real citizen science research and opportunities to demonstrate and be recognized for their skills as scientists, we hope all participants who engage with this curriculum will emerge with a strengthened sense of science identity.